Systems and methods for managing robots

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for fleet management. The presently disclosed systems and methods may be used to process operational data corresponding to an operation or a status of one or more robots or machines, detect one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior for the one or more robots or machines or one or more components of the one or more robots or machines, and generate one or more maintenance or repair instructions for at least one robot or machine or component based at least in part on a priority of maintenance associated with the at least one robot or machine or component.

1 . A method, comprising:
 (a) receiving and processing operational data corresponding to an operation or a status of one or more robots and/or machines at a central server that is in communication with the one or more robots and/or machines, wherein the processing of the operational data comprises comparing (i) the operational data to (ii) one or more reference values or thresholds associated with the operation or the status of the one or more robots and/or machines or one or more components of the one or more robots and/or machines;   (b) detecting, based at least in part on the comparison in (a), one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior for the one or more robots and/or machines or the one or more components of the one or more robots and/or machines, wherein the one or more changes or deviations indicate or identify at least one robot or machine or component to be serviced, maintained, or replaced;   (c) generating and transmitting one or more maintenance or repair instructions for the at least one robot or machine or component based at least in part on a priority of maintenance associated with the at least one robot or machine or component, wherein the priority of maintenance is based at least in part on a magnitude of the one or more changes or deviations detected in (b); and   (d) adjusting, based on the one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior detected in (b), one or more motion paths or cleaning routines for the at least one robot or machine to be serviced or maintained.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein (c) further comprises prioritizing the one or more maintenance or repair instructions or adjusting the priority of maintenance based on the operational data. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein (c) further comprises prioritizing the one or more maintenance or repair instructions or adjusting the priority of maintenance based on a condition or a state of the at least one component to be serviced or replaced. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein (c) further comprises prioritizing the one or more maintenance or repair instructions or adjusting the priority of maintenance based on a level or a severity of component wear or breakdown. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, prior to (a), providing one or more scannable codes that are associated with or affixable to the one or more robots or machines or the one or more components of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (b), assigning one or more entities to service or maintain the at least one robot or machine or component based at least in part on the one or more changes or deviations detected in (b). 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising identifying or locating a service history for the one or more robots or machines or the one or more components of the one or more robots or machines when a user or an operator of the one or more robots or machines scans the one or more scannable codes. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more scannable codes comprise one or more machine-specific or component-specific codes that are unique to the one or more robots or machines or the one or more components of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the one or more scannable codes comprise a bar code, a quick response (QR) code, an April tag, a unique identifier, or a serial number. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational data comprises information on a battery level or a charge status of the one or more robots or machines and/or the one or more components of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational data comprises fault information or alarm information for the one or more robots or machines and/or the one or more components of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational data comprises information on work records, a cleaning path, or a cleaning performance for the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational data comprises a total time of use or operation for the one or more components. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the operational data is periodically generated or compiled by the one or more robots or machines for transmission or upload to the central server. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more reference values or thresholds correspond to a total operational time for the one or more robots or machines or the one or more components. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the total operational time is determined separately for each component of a robot or machine. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (b), adjusting an operation of the one or more robots or machines to compensate for or mitigate a suboptimal performance or operation of the at least one robot or machine or component experiencing the one or more changes or deviations. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (c), tracking and providing maintenance or service status information to a user or an operator of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein tracking and providing maintenance or service status information comprises estimating an amount of time needed to maintain, repair, or service the at least one robot or machine or component. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein (c) further comprises prioritizing the one or more maintenance or repair instructions or adjusting the priority of maintenance based on the estimated amount of time needed to maintain, repair, or service the at least one robot or machine or component in order to reduce robot or machine downtime and maximize robot or machine operational time. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (c), providing or ordering a replacement robot or machine or one or more replacement components for a user or an operator of the one or more robots or machines experiencing the one or more changes or deviations. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (c), adjusting the priority of maintenance for the at least one robot or machine or component based on (i) additional operational data received for the at least one robot or machine or component and/or (ii) additional operational data received for another robot or machine or component. 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more maintenance or repair instructions are generated based on one or more pictures or videos provided from a user or an operator of the one or more robots or machines to the central server, wherein the one or more pictures or videos indicate or show the one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior for the one or more robots or machines or the one or more components of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more maintenance or repair instructions are generated based on (i) robot or machine or component data collected by the one or more robots or machines using one or more sensors and/or (ii) one or more predetermined parameters associated with the robot or machine or component data. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (b), scheduling one or more service appointments for the one or more robots or machines based on (i) the operational data and/or (ii) a user request to schedule one or more service or maintenance sessions. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising managing or updating a customer account associated with the one or more robots or machines based on the operational data processed in (a), the one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior detected in (b), or the one or more maintenance or repair instructions generated in (c). 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising managing or updating financial information, payment information, or billing information associated with the one or more robots or machines based on the operational data processed in (a), the one or more changes or deviations in operation or expected behavior detected in (b), or the one or more maintenance or repair instructions generated in (c). 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more robots or machines comprise one or more position sensors for sensing a position and/or an orientation of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the operational data comprises information on the position and/or the orientation of the one or more robots or machines. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, subsequent to (c), adjusting a motion path or cleaning routine of at least one or more other robot or machine to clean a target area that was originally assigned to the at least one or more robot or machine to be serviced, maintained, or replaced. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, after (d), redirecting or adjusting a motion path or cleaning routine of at least one other robot or machine to clean a target area previously assigned to the at least one or more robot or machine that is to be serviced or maintained. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more maintenance or repair instructions include a timeline or timing by which to complete maintenance or repair on the at least one robot or machine.